The Italian government is looking to reform the use of wiretapping as the practice costs millions and is often used as a means to pressure political opponents, including via the press.
Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio presented measures to reform wiretapping practices before the Senate. These include a deep revision of wiretapping practices as these are often used at the discretion of judges without just cause and as a political weapon.
“We will propose a profound revision” of the discipline of wiretapping in investigations and trials and “we will strictly monitor any dissemination that is arbitrary and improper”, the minister said.
Nordio explained that the use of wiretapping is “far above the European average” and that of Anglo-Saxon countries. Wiretapping includes telephone tapping and tapping with wiretaps, hidden microphones or telematic viruses.
According to the minister, through the “selected and piloted dissemination” of wiretaps, they have become a “deadly instrument of personal and often political delegitimisation”.
“Most of these are done on the basis of mere suspicions and do not conclude anything”, he added, explaining that the intercepted are often not under investigation and their “confidentiality and honour” is thus harmed without just cause.
Confidential information from wiretaps is often passed on to the press, particularly during political campaigns.
Wiretapping is used as a “tool of proof” of guilt, he said, adding that it costs “hundreds of millions of euros” – a cost that is not justified by the outcome of trials.
“We have never seen a conviction handed down on the basis of wiretapping alone”, he said, adding that judges can investigate whoever they want without having to respond if the investigation proves to be useless or excessive.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called justice reform a “priority”.
“There are distortions on wiretapping, with certain types of wiretaps ending up in the newspapers (…) These are issues that need to be reasoned about in a serious, non-ideological manner, open to the contributions of others. Surely this is one of the great reforms that Italy is waiting for”, Meloni said at the end of the EU-Western Balkan summit in Tirana on Tuesday.
On the side of the opposition, Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi said he was “very convinced” of Nordio’s statements in the past, and hopes they will move from words to deeds.
(Federica Pascale | EURACTIV.it)
Source: euractiv.com
